Post-Standard basketball writer Mike Waters answers readers’ questions about the Orange, the Big East, all of college basketball and just about anything else. To submit a question, email Mike at mwaters@syracuse.com

I know Jim Boeheim has won 900 games but I’m betting that 70 to 75 percent of those games are against crap teams. How about someone making a total list of his 900 wins? I would like to see 50 wins against Cornell (and) 30 wins against Georgetown.

— Dick in Tampa

Mike: This is the old Syracuse/Boeheim schedules too many cupcakes refrain. I get it all the time. In fact, this wasn’t the only email with that general theme that I got during the week leading up to Boeheim’s 900th victory or in the days shortly after the Orange’s win over Detroit on Dec. 17 (see next question).

You’d be wrong in betting that 70 to 75 percent of Boeheim’s wins came against lesser teams. In fact, the numbers are exactly the reverse.

Boeheim has 355 wins against Big East Conference teams. Another 60 have come in the postseason – 48 in the NCAA and 12 in the NIT. That’s over 400 wins right there.

Remember, the Big East wasn’t around for Boeheim’s first three years and the league only had six games in its first year. But many of Boeheim’s first 100 wins came against Louisville, Boston College, West Virginia and Pittsburgh.

Boeheim’s teams have recorded 37 wins against Georgetown, but only 26 against Cornell. The only teams that Boeheim has beaten more often than Georgetown are Seton Hall (45), Providence (44), Connecticut (40), St. John’s (40) and Pittsburgh (38).

You forgot one breakdown of Boeheim’s "900." How many were against lightweight teams who never had a prayer of a chance to even keep it close? Should they even count as wins? If the Yankees played 40 percent of their schedule against Single A teams, would there be an outcry? The real breakdown should read 500 "real" wins if there were any justice. Just giving you some food for thought.

A better analogy would be comparing SU’s non-conference games with the games the Yankees play against small-market teams like Kansas City, Minnesota and Oakland. The Yankees can beat up on those teams (in most years anyway), but the wins still count.

I already addressed this issue in the previous question, but here’s one more thing. You can’t just single out Syracuse in this argument.

The reality is that Syracuse doesn’t schedule any more cupcakes than most big-name schools.

Duke plays some big-time teams, but the Blue Devils also play Georgia State, Florida Gulf Coast, Delaware, Cornell, Elon, Santa Clara and Davidson. And the Blue Devils don’t play one true road game (Davidson in Charlotte, N.C., doesn’t count) until the start of ACC play.

Do you anticipate any changes in non-conference scheduling with the move to the ACC? Seems like the ACC isn't as tough top to bottom as the Big East, and I'm wondering if we'll see some more challenging foes or maybe some traditional rivalry games.

— Dave in Florida

Mike: I agree that the Big East has been tougher top to bottom than the ACC over the past few years, but I think that’ll change when Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Louisville all join the ACC in the next year or two.

So, I don’t expect Syracuse’s non-conference schedule to change that much. One fact that might result in a change is how many games the ACC will play.

Should the ACC stick with the plan to play 18 conference games, I think SU’s schedule remains the same. If the ACC goes to more games, Syracuse will have to reduce the number of tough non-conference games or, at the very least, get into early tournaments like the Coaches vs. Cancer and the NIT Season Tip-Off.